I don’t know about you, my friends, but I know I’m still reeling from seeing the images of all the attacks on people in Paris and around the world.

In a world as visual as ours is, images are everything, and the images now seared into my brain have had a profound impact on my personal sense of JOYthis week.

So, I’m writing this post to share words and images that make me happy and have helped me to re-embrace JOY, becauseI know I’m not alone in how I feel…and as I saw it said online by someone who lives in Paris,Here are the top 5 things that have helped me to re-embrace JOY this week.

1. Seeing that a friend of a friend’s child was found and is safe, after having been lost for 6 days in the forest during a hiking trip!!

2. Seeing that two other friends are celebrating their first grandchildren.

3. Going for my morning walks around the lake and taking the time to shop for and prepare all of my *clean eating* food for the week {this will be the subject of another post }. 4. Knowing that another friend’s painful and difficult series of radiation treatments for breast cancer is now over. She’s an interior designer in Boston, and during her treatments, she took on a design challenge called the *One Room Challenge* to keep her mind focused on what was beautiful, affirming and positive in her life.

She really inspired {inspires} me with her hope-FULL attitude, despite all she’s been through.

The #OneRoomChallenge [ #ORC } was a challenge to re-design one room in your own home in 6 weeks.

Here’s the before and after of what Linda accomplished.

BeforeAfter Color and a beautifully designed room or home, full of things we love and cherish is such a powerful way to bring JOY back into our lives, isn’t it?

5. Knowing my Mother will be playing duplicate bridge today for the first time in 3 months, after not playing for that long due to her hospitalization and subsequent rehabilation. Bridge is an important part of her life.

She’s one of our country’s top amateur duplicate bridge players and has played every week since she was about 18 years old. She’s a little nervous since she hasn’t played in a while, but….

Mom:What’s especially joy -FULL for me to think about, is that today, her fellow bridge players are celebrating Thanksgiving after the game, and many of them are bringing delicious home-cooked special food to share with everyone. She will have a yummy feast to enjoy, after her triumphant return.

What could be better?

And now, as we all get ready to go on about our own days and the rest of the week, I hope this beautiful children’s book illustration will show you one more thing, that no matter what else is happening, always brings me JOY…

The twin gifts of friendship {yours} and play. What’s brought you joy this week? Please let all reading this post know in the comments because…

Good morning, friends of Messages of Hope. How are you? It’s been a little while since I’ve written a post because I’ve been spending almost every spare minute of the past two months either working at my main business, taking care of my mother and the *things of her life* because she got terribly sick { but who, through the grace of God and good nursing care recovered and is just now back home as of yesterday } and downsizing dramatically and moving into a new home, myself.

I had so much to do and many times I felt overwhelmed. What helped me get through it all was prayer, eating clean so my own mind and body stayed clear and healthy through it all and the prayers, positive words, thoughts and deeds of my friends on Facebook and in real life.

However, yesterday afternoon, I had an emotional meltdown. Moving my Mom back into her own home from rehab was extremely tough – and it ended in a bad way. I felt terrible, she felt terrible, and yet it happened.

The tears would not stop. I walked out and got in my car and just wanted to run away – forever.

What happened next, though, was this:

I didn’t start my car, I just sat in it and cried and cried. And then, a tiny voice within me came through and said to me, “Leslie, you have to go back upstairs to your Mom’s front door and knock on it and not leave things like this. What if she dies overnight? Do you want this to be the way it ends?

And I did go back upstairs. And the fact that I was able to do that, {because I was angry – very angry at that moment, which is the emotion that pops up when you feel hurt and/or wounded} was simply through the grace of God.And when I knocked on the door, Mom answered, and, although she was still upset, too, she put a cool cloth on my forehead and poured me a glass of chocolate milk.And because I also believe in the power of synchronicity, when I woke up this morning, still feeling tender, this is the very first thing I saw when I sat down to check on my friends on Facebook.Friends, we all know that millions of people the world over are caregivers or are the ones being cared for. I know that this tiny *slice of my life story* that I’ve shared with you today, is but one drop in a very, very big sea of stories just like it.

I know, though, that when I pray and a tiny space of forgiveness opens up, for myself and for the *other*, I always find comfort. I hope the same can be true for you if you’re dealing with something similar.This describes things perfectly this morning.And this is what I plan to do today, and I hope you will join me.My sincere thanks to the women who created these beautiful Bible Journaling pages I’ve shared here today and if you’d like to find a Bible journaling image to help you through a challenging time, too, please see this Pinterest board where you can find more: